Local Bordeaux gastronomy is inspired by the local heritage and terroir of Bordeaux.Wine occupies a large place and takes part in a cuisine that will delight your taste buds. Here are the top 12 gourmet things to taste in Bordeaux:
1. The cannelés of Bordeaux
The essential coffee companion in the region! Soft or crispy, we like it in alltextures. It is said that cannelés were invented by nuns and the history of its manufacture is linked to winemaking! Historically in Bordeaux, we have always used egg whites to clarify wine. There was a surplus of yolks… Just add flour, rum and cane sugar from the local port trade and the recipe is done.
2. The Saint-Emilion macaroons
A gourmet tradition that endures. This gourmet specialty has been passed down from generation to generation
in Saint-Emilion since the Ursuline sisters established their convent in this medieval city in 1620. Less colourful than Parisian macaroons and without any ganache, Saint- Emilion macaroons are made from sweet and bitter almonds, egg whites and sugar!
3.
The lamprey, a local dish
Very old fish, without bones, bones or vertebrae, the lamprey may be
frightening at first sight. But don't get me wrong, it will be an excellent company prepared "à la bordelaise", whose secret of preparation lies largely (but not only) on the use of its blood in the recipe ...
4.The Pauillac lamb
Pauillac lamb is a labelled product that is highly appreciated by meat lovers.
Lambs are exclusively fed with their mothers’ milk. Their meat is white and
pink and very tender and tasty. To try in Bordeaux restaurants of course!
5.The Saint-Emilion’s bubbles
In the heart of the city of Saint-Emilion, production of Crémant de Bordeaux (sparkling white or rosé wine made according to the traditional method) has been perpetuated since the 19th century both in the Caves de la Tour du Roy and in the darkness of the underground quarries from the former Franciscan monastery to the Cloister of the Cordeliers.
6. The Arcachon oysters
If there is one thing to taste on the Arcachon Bay, this is its oysters! You can do it in one of the restaurants along the quays of each small village on the Arcachon Basin or directly at the oyster farm, or on a Pinasse, an old fishing boat, used now as pleasure boat. This local product, 100% from natural farming, always reflects the peculiarities of the local marine terroir. Find out about the situation of the parks (Ile aux oiseaux, Banc d'Arguin, etc.) because the taste of oysters from one park to another is really different!
7. The White Dunes
This aerial dessert was invented on the Arcachon Basin, in Cap Ferret. This little chou pastry filled with light vanilla cream and sprinkled with icing sugar has been delighted young and old since 2008. You can find it in the brand's official bakeries, in Bordeaux, Arcachon or Cap Ferret or also at the Cap Ferret market.
8. The cep, king of mushrooms
Fruit of a particularly mild autumn climate, where heavy rains and thunderstorms follow one another, the cep flourishes in the forests of the
Médoc. And it especially makes the happiness of its pickers and its tasters, who appreciate making it the main ingredient of their recipe or a succulent accompaniment!
9. The Grenier Médocain
Its name “Grenier” (Attic, granary) originates from the fact that the Médoc, with its large fields of culture, was once considered as the Bordeaux granary. Its history is entirely linked to the wine world: when the Médoc wines did not have the same reputation as today, families had to have one or two pigs tohave meat all year round. And as nothing is lost in the pig, the pig's stomach was used as the main ingredient for the Grenier Médocain, which became a snack for peasant winemakers, used especially during the harvest.
10.Les Noisettines du Médoc
Local sweet pride for almost 40 years! A delicacy made from hazelnuts, immersed in a syrup the recipe of which is carefully kept. To be tasted without moderation ...
11. The Médoc Chocolates
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what youre going to come across ... “. So let yourself be seduced by a Guinette, an envelope of chocolate sheltering a precious cherry flavored with Kirsh or Armagnac, or remember the good memories of the grape with the Pearls of the Médoc! As for the Sarments (small branches of chocolate vine) with different tastes, they will be a perfect Medoc gift to accompany a bottle of good wine.
12. Wine of course!
To make world famous wines, you need an exceptional terroir! A remarkable local land combined with a microclimate perfectly suited to the cultivation of the vine - these are the two conditions of this exceptional terroir producing exceptional wines. And this has been going on wonderfully for 19 centuries! More than a hundred chateaux make you visit properties full of character which reveal different facets ...